Fernglen Farm

In the rolling landscapes of New Zealand’s eastern Wairarapa coastline, a dedicated family is flipping the script on traditional farming. What began as a typical sheep and beef operation is now a bold venture into sheep milk – a product with surprising nutritional benefits, global potential, and a strong focus on animal welfare. Led by the Ravenwood family, this farm is proving that thinking differently might just reshape the future of dairy.

Cam Ravenwood, alongside his older siblings, Ben and Baeley, and parents, Jeff and Shirley, represent a new generation of forward-thinking farmers. Fernglen Farm was historically a sheep and beef farm, and the farm’s 1150 hectares, half of which is native bush, currently runs nearly 5,000 stock units. This includes 2,500 breeding ewes and 50 breeding Angus cows. The farm is managed by the Ravenwood family and a key staff of eight. “We were pretty naive when we started,” Cam told us. “We’d never milked cows or been dairy farmers before, but we jumped in the deep end and started a dairy, processing, and marketing business all at once.”

The farm’s journey into sheep milk began unexpectedly in 2015 when Jeff cut out a newspaper article about sheep milk prices.

What seemed like a bizarre concept quickly became a passionate pursuit, driven by the nutritional profile of sheep milk.

Cam explained that he and his siblings had always had an interest in sports and nutrition, with the three of them being actively involved in sports throughout their schooling and university years. Sheep milk offered an alternative business that not only set Fernglen Farm apart, but also provided a nutritional boost for the sporting family and their customers. “We found it was pretty big overseas. I’ve got a sporting background, and really love sport nutrition and training, so the sheep milk side of things in raw form was just really, really good - high in protein, high in calcium and fast and easy to digest. Some people can’t tolerate cow’s milk, which sparked our interest in sheep’s milk. From there, we just thought through our ideas of how we might get into it, if there was an opportunity. We eventually decided we’re going to have a crack,” he said. The benefits of sheep milk speak for themselves.

Sheep milk has 60% more protein and calcium than cow’s milk, higher levels of micronutrients, around 40% more magnesium, and it’s high in folate, phosphate and some of the key amino acids for muscle recovery, like leucine, isoleucine and valine, are nearly double what’s in cow’s milk.

“We have some amazing stories from customers who have been off dairy for 20 years, and they have our milk, and they are fine,” Cam said. “Some of the alternatives to cow milk, like plant-based alternatives, don’t have bioavailable calcium or protein. It may be in there, but the body can’t actually absorb it. We’re trying to offer a more natural and nutritional alternative.” The Goldpine team even tasted it during our visit to Fernglen Farm, and it was as delicious as cow’s milk – if not more so!

Fernglen Farm isn’t just about producing a novel product. They’re committed to sustainable, ethical farming practices. They are the first dairy farm in New Zealand to be SPCA certified - an example of their animal-welfare-based approach to agriculture.

“Being the first dairy farm in New Zealand to be SPCA certified was a really cool process. When we started out, there was a lot of negative media around farming, and that influenced the way we wanted to farm. We wanted lambs to stay on mum, and we wanted animal welfare to be at the forefront of what we’re doing. We saw an opportunity; we knew that we could farm and milk ewes with lambs on, and that’s a big thing for the SPCA certification, so that’s exactly what we did. We said, well, if we can, we will,” he said.

“For us, it simplifies the system. It has made us look at our business more closely. Animal welfare has always been important, but this just brings it even further to the front, and it makes you think critically about, ‘Oh, actually, what are we doing every year to improve?’”

Cam continued. “We get audited independently twice a year, and it’s just like a nice sort of benchmark to know that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Focusing on animal welfare has also proven beneficial on a business front. “Another cool thing that’s come out of this are facts like, in the middle of summer, the best producing paddocks for milk production are the ones that have the best shade. So it just shows if you improve that welfare for animals, you can actually get a tangible output too,” he said.

This commitment extends beyond animal welfare. The farm has consistently planted hundreds of poplar poles each year to prevent soil erosion, fenced off waterways, and retired native bush blocks. For the Ravenwood family, farming isn’t just a business - it’s environmental stewardship.

Cam explained that producing a product as new as sheep milk has not been without its challenges. Sheep milk production is an infant industry with limited information and resources, and milking sheep around conception cycles presents another challenge in itself. “One of the big challenges is keeping our fresh product going year-round. Sheep are naturally harder to breed out of season because they cycle based on daylight, whereas cows can generally get pregnant any time of the year. Getting a ewe to lamb in autumn is much harder, so getting those year-round supplies is also much more difficult. That’s our biggest challenge, and one we are continually improving.”

The Fernglen Farm team manage milk production out of season by maintaining ewe body condition. They use fodder beet supplements to keep ewes in good condition during pregnancy and while nursing, ensuring ewes can maintain milk production without losing body weight. “That’s been our biggest gain so far, just the management of the animals themselves,” Cam added. They also conduct annual blood tests and trace element monitoring to support the ewes’ health and milk production capabilities, with the goal of increasing their out-of-season milk supply.

Their persistence is paying off. Fernglen Farm now supplies sheep milk products to major sports teams, including the All Blacks, and has expanded into yoghurt and cheese production. Their products are available in supermarkets like Farro, Woolworths and New World across New Zealand.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented another significant challenge. Their initial flavoured milk line was hit hard, with sales dropping 70% overnight. But they adapted, pivoting towards retail products and exploring new market segments. “We would be further ahead without COVID,” Cam said, “but we’re now well past where we were before the pandemic.”

The potential for sheep milk extends far beyond New Zealand. With approximately 60% of the Asian population lactose intolerant, there’s a massive global market waiting to be tapped. Cam and his family’s vision goes beyond commercial success. They see sheep milk as part of a broader agricultural transformation, one that prioritises nutrition, sustainability, and animal welfare.

“What makes us proud to be farmers is knowing we’re producing something really good,” Cam said. “We get direct customer feedback about our product’s quality and taste, and we’re proud of the way we farm.”

For the Ravenwood family, Fernglen Farm represents more than a business. It’s a commitment to innovation, environmental responsibility, and creating nutritional products that can genuinely improve people’s lives. As New Zealand’s agricultural landscape continues to evolve, farms like Fernglen are showing that traditional practices can be reimagined. Sheep milk might just be the next big thing in dairy - and this family is leading the charge.